DMV Offers Overnight Delivery of Free Photo ID Document Near Election

2016-09-15

MADISON, WI – Anyone who needs a photo ID document to vote will now receive it shortly after one visit to the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles, the Elections Commission announced.

“Most voters already have a photo ID to vote, like a driver license or state ID card,” said Michael Haas, Wisconsin’s chief elections official. “However, if you do not have a photo ID, and do not have a birth certificate, you can still get a document you can use for voting by making one trip to the DMV.”

The ID Petition Process (IDPP) is used by the DMV to help people whose documents to prove U.S. citizenship, name and date of birth, or legal name change are unavailable. The DMV is now issuing special receipts that include the person’s photograph to those who initiate the petition process, Haas said.

Up until Friday, October 28, receipts will be sent to petition applicants automatically within six business days of coming into the DMV and applying. Starting Monday, October 31, receipts will be produced the same day as application and sent to the applicant via overnight mail. These IDPP receipts are valid for 180 days and will be automatically renewed until the petition process is resolved. The receipt can be used immediately as photo ID for voting while the DMV reviews the person’s application for a free state ID card.

“A DMV receipt works for voting just like a driver license, state ID card, passport, military ID, veteran’s ID or tribal ID,” Haas said.

Another group who may have difficulty providing an acceptable photo ID is older voters whose driver license or state ID card may have expired before the most recent November General Election, Haas said. These voters have the option of notifying their municipal clerk that they wish to become a permanent absentee voter, permitting them to vote without first providing a copy of their photo ID.

“The voter ID law contains an important exception for ‘indefinitely confined’ voters who have difficulty making it to the polls on Election Day due to age, disability, infirmity or illness,” Haas said. “These voters can cast an absentee ballot without sending the clerk a copy of their photo ID because the person who witnesses the ballot confirms the voter’s identity.”

For more information about the voter ID law, how to get a free state ID and exceptions to the law, visit the Elections Commission’s Bring It to the Ballot website: www.bringit.wi.gov or call 1-866-VOTE-WIS.